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| Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz pledges a million dollars to Mir Avreichim (Matzav) |
There are a lot of billionaires in the world. Some of them
are Jewish. And it seems that Orthodox Jewry may have a few of those
billionaires counted among them too.
I consider myself fortunate to know some very wealthy
Orthodox Jews. I don’t really know if they are billionaires. But considering
the amount of money they each give to various Jewish causes – in the many millions annually, it would not surprise me if they were. I am happy for them and
am pleased that that they are able to enjoy their wealth and at the same time use that wealth for good.
One particular very wealthy friend of mine told me many
years ago that he gives approximately half of his income away every year to Orthodox
Jewish institutions – mostly religious day schools, high schools, and Yeshivos.
This was all brought to mind yesterday when Orthodox Jewish philanthropist
Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz pledged what amounts to half of next month’s income to
the Avreichim of Yeshivas Mir in Jerusalem. It will be in the form of matching
their monthly stipend – doubling their income for the Hebrew month of Cheshvan.
After making this pledge - he added:
“An avreich gives tzedakah at the expense of bread and milk, and his child’s shoes. If I make a million dollars in two weeks, how can I observe something like this and sit by quietly?”
What a truly generous man Mr. Rechnitz is. This is not the first
time he has been generous with his money. Nor is his alma mater, Yeshivas Mir, the only place he has been generous to.
Another thought that came to mind is what Bill and Melinda Gates
are doing along with their ‘partner in crime’ Warren Buffet. They have created
a very special club for billionaires. Joining that club requires only one thing:
A pledge to give away half of their fortune to the charity of their choice.
They call it ‘The Giving Pledge’. Among billionaires
who joined are some very prominent political, business, media, and entertainment people whose names most
people will surely recognize. Names like Michael Bloomberg, George Lucas, and Ted
Turner. As of 2010, over forty
billionaire have signed up pledging to give away half of their fortune.
Now we Orthodox Jews do not have such a club. At least not
that I am aware of. But it would not surprise me if many of the multi
millionaires that I know already do that anyway. Which is of course to their
credit. But this got me to thinking about the tuition crisis again. There is
not a scintilla of doubt in my mind that most Orthodox religious schools
struggle to meet their budgets. Many do not and run deficits every year. And in
all cases that I am aware of it is the parents that are asked to shoulder the
lion’s share of that burden.
Most parents in ‘the sytem’ are not millionaires.
Even some of the more affluent among them making well into six figure incomes
can often not pay full tuition. They too receive tuition assistance in the form
of partial scholarships. Especially when they have a large family that very
often consists of 5 or more children. In such cases the actual tuition fee can run into six figures itself in some of the pricier schools. And most people
make less than six figure incomes.
There have been many suggestions about how to solve this
crisis. Some of them practical, some of them not. Some implemented in some
schools. Some not. Some involve cost cutting. Others involve novel ways to
raise money. But as of now, none of these solutions even if they are all implemented
in every school will solve this crisis.
The biggest ‘budget buster’ is of course the salaries of the teachers and administration. And that is as it
should be. Gone are the days (for most schools) of starvation wages for Rebbeim
and Moros, who had to seek second jobs just to make ends meet. They are now
paid a relatively decent wage, although certainly not what a good teacher should
make.
In my view good teachers are still underpaid and deserve a lot more for
all their hard work and dedication. So we have this conundrum
of wanting teachers to get paid what they deserve; pushing parents (as the beneficiaries
of their schools via the education of their children) to the max; and still falling way short of meeting a budget where
teacher are still not paid what they deserve.
I think everyone knows where I
am going with this by now. What about a billionaires club for Orthodox Jewish
billionaires. Or even a multi-millionaires. club But instead of pledging half of their
considerable fortunes to the charity of their choice, pledge it to the Yeshivas, high schools, or
day schools of their choice in the cities where they live.
If that were done, I think it would go a long way
to solving the tuition crisis. This does not mean that parents shouldn’t pay
what they can afford. Of course they should. But it might lighten their load
just a bit and it would certainly ease the pressure they constantly feel.
I happen to believe (and I have no real way of knowing this…
it’s just a hunch) that the money is there. If all of Orthodox Jewish billionaires
and multi millionaires were to pledge half of their fortunes to the schools in their own
cities - I think it might just solve the problem. And I do not think it would hurt their lifestyles - which they have rightfully earned and are certainly entitled to enjoy.
What about the other worthy institutions? I’m sure that
there might even be some only left over in the other half of their fortunes for
that too. Or in lieu of that - perhaps 10% of that pledge can be designated to those other worthy causes.
So to all you fabulously wealthy Orthodox Jews out there… how about it, guys? You game? You willing to ‘take
the pledge’?
Of course I could be way off base on all of this. It might already be happening in a practical sense. I don't know. Its just a thought. But if I'm right. it's a darn good one.
